Sheet-registering mechanism.



J. WHITE.

SHEET REGISTERING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, 1912. 1,036,169., Patented Aug. 20, 1912.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

J. WHITE. SHEET REGISTERING MECHANISM. APPLIGATION FILED JAN. 2, 1912.

MAKE/v 7- M Mm der in one and JOSEPH WHITE, 03 PISCATAW'AY TOWN SHIP, MIDDLE-SEX COUNTY. NEW JERSEY.

SHEET-REGISTERING MECHANISIVI.

Application filed January 2. 1912.

Specification of Letters Pa tent.

Patented King. 2%, 15512.. Serial No. 668,825.

To ((2/ zr/tmn it may concern Be it known that I, Josicrn- \Vnric. a citizen ot the United States. residing in liscataway township, liliddlesex.eounty, State of New Jersey, (post-ollice address, Boundbroolt, New tlerscy have invented certain new and useful improvements in Sheet-Registcring- Mechanisms; and I do declare the following to be a 't'ttlhtrue. and exact de. scription of the said invention. such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it. appertains to malt'euse ot' the same.

This invention relates particularly to printing machinery in which an impression cylinder or the like is provided with a plu rality of sets o't sheet. taking devices which close at a given point in their path ot travel to take sheets from a. teed board or other sheet presenting means. As ordinarily eonstructed, these heet taking devices are grippers mounted on an oscillatory shatt and adjust'ably held thereon so that they may he positioned as desired by the operator. This shaft is operated at certain points in its travel with the cylinder so as to open and close the gri iipcrs on sheets presented to the g'i'ippta-s. When these grippers are adjusted or positioned by the operator, there is always a tendency to alter the position at the shaft in relation to the operating: means, usually a cam or pin by which the shaft is rotated to close the grippers. \Vhen the cylinder is provided with only one set ot grippers, this alteration of the relative position ot' the op crating means and the. grippers is lintnaterial since at: each cycle of rotation of the cylinder, the grippers will close at exactly the same point after they are once adjusted. \Vhen, however, the cylinder is provided with two or more sets of grippers. each oi" which close at substantially the. same point in the rotation of the cylinder, it is pr ihable. unless some special means is provided to prevent? it, that each of these sets of grippers will not: close at identically the same position. If this occurs, it will be seen that in a series of sheets each presented to the cylinthe same position. the trout edge of some of the sheets will have one relation and 01 some, another relation to the grippers which engage those sheets. This is particularly true when the grippers are closed by the ordinary tumbler operating on the usual fixed pin inserted in the side frame l t l l l l l l l t o the machine. With this device, atwhich the grippers will close-on a sheet will he determined by the point atwhich the tumbler leaves the tumbler pin and this point in turn will be determined by the relative position which the grippers, when closed on their abutments. have with the tumbler slot. As pointed out before. the adjustment ot' the grippers tends to Vary the angle which this tumbler slot. bears to the circumference of the cylinder. This vziriation. when there only one set of grippers in the cylinder. is innmiterial, but when Lwz. or more sets are used. it is practically impossible to set each set ot' grippers so that the tumbler slot tor each set will occupy exactly tin same angle to the cit-cumt'erence ot the. cylinder and each set or grippers will conseqnently have aclosinnpoint slightly ditt'erent from that of any other set of the series. it therefore becomes impossible. without some special 'iroy'ision. to set. the front pages and the torn) so that each sheet l be printed in the same reenter.

My invention consists of b which this ditliculty may be overcome and by which the closing or engaging point t the sheet taking devices will have exactly tl sa-nie relation to sheets presented to them.

With this and other objects in View. the invention consists of certain novel teatures ot' construction and arrangement ot parts which will he more fully de cribed and pointed out in the appended claims.

in the drawings. Figure l is a side cleva tion of a portion (i a printing press. showing the llt'tptt* ftltiti cylinder and portions ot a teed board. a delivery cylinder. and a pair ol plate or form cylinders: Fina-2 represents a plan view of Fig. l with a portion of the (tlltl 2b from line to line l3l removed to show the Fig. 3 repre ents a fragment of some pa rts shown in Fin. 2 'terent position. 'ihe (OIYQSPOtltliUQ' parts are referred to both in the drawings and following descriptions by similar reterence charat ters.

in the drawings 10 represents the side t'rat'nes o't.- the printing pre s whiclrI-have selected to illustrate my invention.

11 represents an impression cylinder haw inn; two impression surtaces. t2 and 13. and

the point an arranneinenti of-tlie but in a slightlydifeonstruction ot cant 4-7:]

two sets of grippers 14 and 15, mounted respectively on the shafts 16 and 17. The impression cylinder 11 is rotatably mounted in the frames 10, and 18 and 19 represent form cylinders also rotatably mounted in the side frames 10, it being understood that the form cylinders 18 and 19 are geared to the impression cylinder 11 in the usual manner.

20 represents a portion of the feed board on which the sheets are laid in the usual manner to present the front edges thereof to the cylinder 11 so that they may be engaged by the grippers 14 and 15. I

21 represents a front gage of the ordinary type mounted on the shaft 22. On the front end of the shaft 22, there is a segment 23, engaging with a segment 24 attached to short shaft 25. The segment 23 is provided with an arm engaged by the spring 48. On the rear end ofshaft 25 is a lever 26 carrying a cam roller 27. This cam roller 27 engages with the cams 28 and 29 in a manner to be more fully described hereafter. I

On the shaft 22 is mounted a lever 30 against which presses a spring 31 which, with spring 48 normally holds the front gage 2.. in operative position across the path of a sheet presented to it from the feed board 20. (in the opposite end of the lever 30, are two set screws 32 and 33. The set screw 33 is arranged to engage with a bar-- dened steel stop 34 and the set screw 32 is arranged to engage with a similar stop 35. The stops 34 and 35 form part of a lever 36 pivotally mounted on a fixed center 37 and the lever 36 in turn is connected to the lever 37 by connecting rod 38, the lever 37 being pivotally mounted on the side frame at 39 and carrying a cam roller 40. The cam roller 40 engages with cam 41 attached to the impression cylinder 11.

Each of the tumbler shafts 16 and '17 is provided with the usual tumblerheads 42 and 43 and the side frame is provided with a fixed tumbler pin 44, with which the tumbler heads-42 and 43 engage to close the grippers 14 and 15, and also with the pin 45, with which'the tumbler heads engage'to open the grippers to release the sheet to the delivery cylinder 46. It will be understood, of course, that the gripper shafts 1-6 and 17 are provided with the usual spring devices by yvhich the grippers are either held closed or open, according to'the position in which they are left after the tumbler heads 42 and 43 ass the pins 44 and 45. Each gripper of t e sets 14 and 15 is held to its respective shaft by a set screw, as shown and gripper as ordinarily used. When preparing a new form on the press, the operator will loosen these set screws and adjust the grippers lengthwise on the shafts 16 and 17, according to the sheet to be printed. -H e then presses the operative end of each gripper against the gripper abutment and tightens the set screw to hold the gripper. The grip pers are slightly elastic or springy and this .)r'essure tends to distort or spring the grip pers. is adjusted, the spring of all of the fingers re-acting against the abutment has a tendency to turn the tumbler head slightly from its theoretic position and since the amount of this turning is dependent entirely on the amount of pressure placed on each gripper before it is fastened by the set screw, it will be seen that it is practically impossible to adjust the two sets of grippers 14 and 15 so that the gripper heads 42 and 43 will have exactly the same relation to the cylinder 11 and therefore to the closing pin 44. If, for instance, the slot in the tumbler 42 makes a greater angle with the circumference of the cylinder 11 than does the slot of the tumbler 43, tumbler 42 will .leave the fixed tumbler pin 44 sooner than does the tumbler 43 and the grippers 15 will engage 'a sheet presented to the front gage 21, so

that the distance between the point of engagement with the sheet and its front edge will be greater than the corresponding distance between the point of engagement of the grippers 14 and the front edge of the sheet held by them, if such sheets are presented to the cylinder 11 in exactly the same position, It will also be understood that when two or more sets of grippers and impression surfaces are used, as shown in cylinder 11, the grippers and impression surfaces theoretically should be spaced apart so as to divide the cylinder into equal angles.

Practically there is always some error in doing this, so that, even without the error due to the springing of the grippers, sue cessive sheets would not be presented to the form cylinders in exactly the same relation unless some means for correcting this error is used' There will also be some error in the gearing connecting the impression cylinder 11 with the form cylinders 18 and 19,

which will. also tend to disturb the registry of successive sheets. lVhen there is only one impression surface, after the form and impression surfaces are brought to approxi mately the correct relation, the front gage is adjusted to secure the correct positioning of the sheets with the form. When two or more impression surfaces are used, however, by reason of the before described difference in the closing point of each set of grippers and errors in construction, it becomes impossible to adjust this gage so as to position properly each'ofa succession of sheets unless some special device is provided to that end. In my novel device in the form which I have illustrated, this may be done by the use of the set screws 32 and 33: It will be seen that, as the impression cylinder 11 ro- After each of the fingers on the shaft '40 that the position of 55 grippers, I may present sheets to a 60 sion cylinder and tates, the cams 28 and 29, operating on the roller 27, raise the gage 21 as each of the sets of grippers 141- and 15 pass it and close on the sheet held up against the gage. The

5 cams 2S and 29 hold the gage .21 out of gages baclt to operative position. This perative position is controlled by the set screws 32 and in connection with the stops 3% and The cam 41, operating on the roller 10, moves the steps 34; and so that the front gage may have a different operative posltion'for each successive sheet presented to it. lVith the arrangement described the operator will first position the gage so that the sheet presented to the set of 'grippers 15 will have the impression properly placed thereon. This may be done by the adjustment of the set screw 32 bearing against the stop 34 exactly as if the cylinder had only one impression surface. The cylin- 5 der 11 is then turned around until the set of grippers 14 engages with the sheet pl-"sented to the gage 21, at which time the Sctscrew 32 is over the stop 35. Without disturbing in any way the previous setting of the gage,

the set screw 32 is now manipulated until the gage is properly positioned so that sheets taken by the setof grippers 14 will have the impressions from cylinders 18 and 19 printed 111 exactly the same relation to 3.5 the margins of the sheet as is the case of the sheets presented to the grippers 15. It is obvious that, by reason of the fact that the screws 39, and 33 engage alternately with the stops 3st and 35, respectively, and the front gage will remain exactly the same for all sheets taken by the set of grippers 15 and exactly the same for all of the sheets taken by the grippers 14, all of the sheets taken in succession 15 from the feed board 20 may be printed in the same register. Hence if these sheets are passed through the press the second time, it will be wholly immaterial whether a sheet originally presented to gripper 15,for instance, is presented to the set of grippers 15 or to the set of grippers 14.

in the device described, I have provided mechanism by which, irrespective of the closing points of a plurality of sets of printing surface with all of said sheets in the same relation with that surface and. I also provide a mechanism by which each of a plurality of impiession siirfaces in an impresthe grippers connected therewith becomes, so far as the gaging and taking of sheetsare concerned, the same as if each of these impression surfaces constituted an individual and separate impression cylinder.

While I have shown devices for shifting the front gage to a predeternuned position for each of a succession of sheets presented to it in order to control the distance between the engaging point of the grippers and the front edge of each sheet, my invention is by no means limited to this specific structure. There are various ways in which the point of engagement of each of the sheet-tahing devices with a sheet presented to it may lu= determined without affecting the point of engagement of any other of the devices. This may be done, for instance, by shifting the position of the tumbler pin -.ll bclvswau the. successive closings of the dilljereut sets of grippers, which can be done by substantially the same cam and connections which i ha vc shown to position. the front gage 2i. or it can be accomplished by having the tumbler heads 42 and 43 at opposite ends of in1pre. sion cylinder 11 and a pin on each of the side frames to engage with each of these tumbler heads, each of these pins being separately adjustable. Either of these lastnamed arrangements would be ])t1.I't-lClll:H.l V useful in a pressin which a feed cy' 'lind" having a single set of gripgers, fed she to an impression cylinder having a pluralit of of grippers. It should also be under stood that while I have shown my invention in connection with an impression cylinder having a plurality of surfaces, it may also be used in connection with any other form of cylin('lei", such as a feed cylinder, or in fact with any form of sheet. carrier having a plurality of sheet taking devices thereon, all of which operate at substantially lllu same point in the travel of the carrier.

It is sometimes desirable to permit thfeeding of a sheet to only one of the sets of grippers 14 and 15 at each rotation of the cylinder 11. This may be done by preventing the front gage from coming into operative position for the which are not to be used. The operator will thcn'not be able to present a sheet to such set of'gri 'ipers. For instance, if it is desired to present sheets only to the set of gri iipers 15, the front gage 21 would be moved out ofposition as usual after the front edge of the sheet has been taken by the grippers 15 and held in such position by the cam 28 until the end of that impression surface is passed. Now if instead of allowing it to drop into operative position in order to position a sheet for the grippers 14, the gage be held out of operative position until the gri 'ipers it have passed the feeding point and it is then allowed to drop, the operator can position a sheet against the gage at such times as will permit it to be taken by the gri 'ipers 15. As a convenient means for accoi'nplishing this end, I provide the impression cylinder 11 with a second cam 47, which, as will be seen by reference set of grippers &

to Fig.2, lies nearer the cylinder 11 than do the cams 28 and 29. This cam, 4-7 is formed conveniently on the same circular bar which forms cam 28, the portion 4:? being one-half the width of the portion 28, and being next to the cylinder 11. Obviously,

formedas one piece, these formed of two pieces The circular portion of the cam 47 is continued past the end of the impression surface 12 and the grippers 1.4 and then discontinued. It will be seen that if the roller 27 is made to engage with the cam 47, the latter will raise the gage 91 in order to clear the sheet taken by the gripper-s15 and will hold it out of operative position until after the gripper. 14 have passed the feeding point, the roller .27 passing over cam 47 and the circular portionof cam 29. WVhen the roller 27 reaches the end of cam 29, the gage will be allowed to drop into operative position and remain so until the grippers 15 again take a sheet. It more time is required in which to position thesheet, the circular portion of cam 25) may be cut away adjacent the cylinder, to allow roller 27 to drop sooner. As a convenient means to enable me to shit't the roller 27 from the cam 28 to thecam t7, 1 make the roller 27 removable from the stud on which it rotates in the end of-t'he lever 26 so that it may be placed in either the position of Fig. 2 or of Fi 3. \Vhen it is in the position shown in Fig. 3, the roller 27.engagcs with the cams 28 and 29 to operate the gage 21 for each set of grippers and when it instead of being two cams could be fastened together.

is in position shown in Fig. 2, the gage 21 operates only tor the set of grippers 15.

It is obvious that means other than the specific mechanisn'l that I have shown may be used to prevent the operation of the gage 21 for each. successive set of grippers in the cylinder 11 and that my invention is applicable to a cylinder having any number of impression surfaces and I therefore do notwish to be limited to the specific device which I have used for the purposes of illustration.

Having now described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A movable member having a plurality of sets of sheet taking devices thereon, means to engage said devices in succession with sheets presented at a portion of the path of said devices and means whereby the point of engagement of each of said sets of 1 devices with a sheet may be determined independently of the point of engagement of any other of said devices with a sheet.

2. A'inovable member having a' plurality of sets of sheetgrippers thereon, means to close each of said sets as it a predetermined portion of the path of said sets and means to determine the closing point of each said set in relation to the sheet gripped thereby, independently of the closing point of any one of the remaining said sets in relation to the sheet gripped thereby.

3. A. rotatable cylinder having a plurality of sets of sheet grippers therein, means to close each of said sets as it is carried past the feeding point of said cylinder and means to determine the closing point of each said setin relation to the sheet gripped thereby, independently ofthe closing point of any one of the remaining said sets in relation to the sheet gripped thereby.

4. A cylinder having a plurality of sets of grippers therein, a sheet support at the feeding point of said cylinder, mechanism to close said grippers in succession at said feeding'point to take sheets in succession from said support and mechanismconstructed and arranged to control the distance between the point of engagement of one set of grippers and the front edge of the sheet gripped thereby, independently of the corresponding distance between the point of engagement. of any other of said set of grippers and the front edge of the sheet gripped thereby.

A cyl' ider having a pluralit Y of sets of sheet taking devices therein, a sheet support, mechanism to operate said device to take sheets in succession from said support and mechanism constructed and arranged to control .the distance between the point of engagement ot any one of saitldevices and thifront edge of a sheet engaged thereby, indepemlcntly of the corres 'iond ng distance between the point of engagement of any other of said devices and. the front edge of the sheet engaged thereby.

U. A cylinder having a plurality of sheet bearing surfaces, a sheet support at the feed ing point of said cylinder, sheet takin devices in said cylinder constructed ant arranged to take sheets insuccession from said support and attach them temporarily in predetermined positions to said sur ace and means whereby the predetermined position of sheets so attached to any one of said surfaces may be altered without affecting the predetermined positions of Sheets on the remaining surfaces.

7 A cylinder having a plurality of sheet bearing surfaces, a sheet support at the feeding point. of said cylinder, aset of sheet grippers for each said surface in said cylinder, mechanism to close said grippers in sue; cession at said feeding point to take sheets in succession from said support and. attach themtemporarily to said surfaces and means whereby the sheets so attached to any one of said surfaces may be positioned in a predetermined relation thereto, independently ot the predetermined relation between any other such surface and the sheets so attached thereto. 1

8. A movable mom having a plurality matieally of sets of sheet taking devices therein, a on sheet-s gage and means whereby the opposition of said 'gage may he autoaltered eetvveen the successive engaging operations of said devices.

QQA movable member having a plurality ofsets of sheet grippers thereon a front sheet gage, means to close each of said se of grippers as it arrives at said gage and means whereby the operative position of said gage may be automatically altered hetween the successive closings of said sets.

10. A movable member having a plurality of sets of sheet taking devices therein, means toengage said devices in succession with sheets presented at a portion of the path of said devices, a front sheet gage, and means whereby the operative position of said gage may he automatically altered hetn'een the successive engaging operations of said de- Vices.

ll. A cylinder having a plurality of sets of sheet grippers therein, a sheet support adjaeyint said cylinder, at sheetv gage construetedand ar 'anged to determine the positront sheet era t vc tion of a sheet on Hiltl support in relation to said cylinder, means to close said sets in succession to take sheets from said .stlt ipoll and means whereby the operative posit ion of said gage may he automatically altered lit: tricen the taking of successive sheets.

b1. It uylinder having a plurality oi? sets of .ll('tl gripl'iers therein, a sheet front gage,

means to close each of said sets as it passes said gage and means to alter the distance he tween the operative position of said gage and the closing point of one of said sets of grippers independently of the corresponding distance hetwetn the said gage and the closin; point of any othpr of said sets.

13. A cylinder hating a plurality of sets of sheet grippers therein, a sheet front gage, nit-ins to close each of said sets as it passes sai gage. a stop constructed and arranged to o iterniine the operative position of said gagew and means to change automatically the operative position of said stop a t ter each of said sets of grippers passes said gage.

l t. A cylimler having a plurality of sets tifslii et grippers therein, a sheet front gage. means to close each of said sets as it passes said gage and means wherel'iy the operativ posit on of said gage may he :nnomatically hanged before *aeh of said sets of grippers close.

15. cylinder having a plurality of sets of sheet grippers therein, a sheet front gage, means to close said sets in succession on sheets prts'ented to said gage and means whereby said gage may be moved automatically to a sueccssion of predetermined operative positions.

16. A cylind r having a plurality of sets of sheet grippers therein, a sheetfront gage.

means to close each of said sets in succession t y l presented to said gage, means to raise said gage to permit a sheet to pass, a stop arranged to determine the operative position of said gage when lowered and means to shift. the position of said stop automatically after *ach sheet is taken, whereby said gage may he held operative posit lo n, for successive sheets.

11'. A. eyliiuler l'iaving-a plurality of sets of sheetrippers therein, a sheet front gage. means to clo e ea h of said sets as it passes said gage and adjustable means for permitting the feeding of a sheet to each set of grippers as it passes alternate set.

18. A cylinder having aplurality of sets of sheet. grippers therein, means to close earl) of said sets at the feeding point of said cylinder, a sheet ti-a n'tgage. and means \vht-rolrv said gage may he held out of operative position until one of said has passed said gage.

i l. A cylinder having a plurality of sets of sheet taking devices therein. a sheet front gage, means l engage each of said sets with a sheet presented to said gage when it is in operative position and means nherehy said gage may he held out of operative position while a predetermined set of said devices is passing said gage.

20. A c -Jlinder having a plu 'ality of '(l:-' of sheet talt'ing devi es therein a sheet tron, re. means to engage each of said sets w th a sheet presented to said gage when it t in operative position, means to arise said gage to allow the sheets to pass, means to lower :raid gage after the passage of each sheet and means \vherehy the lowering of said gage may he prevented at pr determintal intervals.

21. A cylinder having a plurality of sets of sheet grippers therein, a sheetfront gage, means to close said sets of grippers in snc cession as they pass said gage, means tomove said gage into operative position prior to the passing of said gage hy each of llitl sets and means \vherel said gage may he wi hheld from operative position while a predetermined set of grippers is passing said gage. cylinder having a plurality of sets of sheet grippers therein, a sheet front gage, means to close each of said sets of grippers as it passes said gage, a cam constructed and arranged to operate said gage to move it out of operative position prior to the passing of each of said sets and a second cam constructed and arranged to hold said gage out of said operative position during the passing of a. predetern'iined set or grip 'ieis.

23. A etdinder having a plurality of sets of sheet grippers therein, a sheetfront gage, means to close each of said sets as it passes said gage, a. cam roller, t-oi'meetions between said tram rollers and said a cam eonsaid gage or to each.

structed and arranged to operate on said rollerto permit said gage to be moved into operative position prior to the passing of each of said sets of grippers and a second cam constructed and arranged to operate on said cam roller to permit said gage to be moved into operative position prior to the passing of each alternate set of said grippers, said cam roller and connections being so constructed and arranged that said rollers may be made to engage with either of said cams.

24. A sheet carrier, means by which sheets may be supported and presented in succession to said carrier, a sheet front gage and automatic means adapted to move said gage successively to difierent predetermined operative positions between the presentation of the sheets to said sheet carrier.

25. A sheet carrier having sheet-taking means thereon, a sheet front gage and means whereby the operative position of said gage may be automatically altered between the successive operations of said sheet-taking means.

'26."A sheet gage, means to move said gage v out of gaging position, means to return it to gaging position, and means to control said gage as it returns to gaging position to locate said gage successively in each of a series of predetermined different gaging posi' tions. i

27. A sheet front gage, automatic means adapted to move said age successively to each of a series of pre etermined different gaging positions, and meansto move said gage out of gaging position after each such positioning;

28. A eet carrier having sheet-taking means thereon, a sheet front gage, means to operate said sheet-taking means to engage a sheet and automatic means adapted to change the distance between the gaging position of said gage and the sheet engagin point of said sheet-taking means for eac sheet-taking operation thereof. a

. JOSEPH WHITE.

Witnesses: Gaonca F. Scum, Annanr G. Wmomms. 

